Help with airlines & scooter

[cjankowski]

We are trying to decide weather to take husbands scooter or rent one for our Alaska / Seattle vacation. Our biggest worry is how will airline treat scooter? Will it get damaged?

Do we take a change on his or pay the fee and just rent? Anyone else have experence with this.

Thanks
Carol

[Kodiak4fun]

We flew into Seattle last year on Southwest for our Alaska cruise with Holland. Southwest treated us wonderfully. There were three couples in our group and each couple traveled with a mobility scooter. So I am "herding cats" with three scooters! They can scoot faster than I can walk. No issues at all with Southwest. TSA went Ok, they do check out the scooters quite extensively. Each one of our group rode their scooter to the gate, it was gate checked, and waiting for them at the other end. No damages at all from the airlines. I made sure that each scooter had the proper form with the scooter instructions for the airlines. (Make sure you keep the key and always travel with an extra.)

The biggest issue we had was with transfers. We flew in the day before and the hotel assured me that they had accessible transportation. I am one to do my due diligence and multiple e-mail and phone conversations later, I was assured that they would be able to accommodate our group. They failed.

But we got through it with a sense of humor and ended up with a deeply discounted hotel bill as well as discounted transfers.


I hope this helps!

Sandy

[cjankowski]

Thank you for your input. We are just so worried about damage to it. You have given me some some things to look into for more details.

[RLM77]

We purchased my scooter in 2009 and have flown 22 times with it and have had no damage whatsoever.

Before we bought it, the airports were always an enormous problem because you never knew whether there would be any wheelchairs available.

There was also the ever present threat of folks commandeering the chair we had arranged to have waiting for me on the jetway at our destination. This happened quite often.

Marlee

[J&B in GA]

Originally Posted by Kodiak4fun

We flew into Seattle last year on Southwest for our Alaska cruise with Holland. Southwest treated us wonderfully. There were three couples in our group and each couple traveled with a mobility scooter. So I am "herding cats" with three scooters! They can scoot faster than I can walk. No issues at all with Southwest. TSA went Ok, they do check out the scooters quite extensively. Each one of our group rode their scooter to the gate, it was gate checked, and waiting for them at the other end. No damages at all from the airlines. I made sure that each scooter had the proper form with the scooter instructions for the airlines. (Make sure you keep the key and always travel with an extra.)

Sandy

Sandy,

Please elaborate on the item highlighted in RED above. Is there some special form the airlines require, or did you just give them instructions for placing the scooter in free wheel mode ?

Thanks,

[evgal/nj]

we have travel 4 x with my dh scooter & had damage 2x's
the first was broken basket, tail light, scratches buit the scooter worked!!!
the second we were flying ba to venice, the scooter front wheel was
broken/bent. they actually found someone to fix it & delivered it to the hotel the next day!!
we travel with the scooter & wheelchair[for off ship]

in iceland flying iclandic air last yr our wheelchair was damaged [wheel bent & brake broken off] they gave us one of their wheelchairs to use,saying they would fix ours.
we were spending 4 days in iceland before flying to denmark to get on the ship.when we arrived back @ the airport to go to denmark, they said keep it! they would fix ours & send it.
2 month later they sent a email that ours was fixed & we could come get it!! after several correspondances we just let it go.

we always fly in a few days early just in case there are problems!

[Kodiak4fun]

J & B,
Southwest has a "scooter form" on it's website. It asks for the specifics and any special instructions for the scooter. I made sure I had this form filled out. I have had agents read it and give it back and other tape it to the scooter and other not even ask for it. My main concern was to make sure that the scooter was put in neutral if it had to be pushed, and was very specific in the comments section. The gate agents seem to know what they are doing, but I am one to cover my bases.

I always want to be sure I comply with their requirements to avoid any issues if there was any damage to the scooter.

Sandy

[DesrtDrmr]

We have taken my scooter on about 15 trips by airplane and have not had any problems. We have flown American, Southwest, United, and USAir. Everyone has been very nice to us, and other than being a bit late bringing the scooter to the plane when I arrived at a destination, but they called for a wheelchair and wheeled me to waiting area while they got my scooter. I have copied my manual and wired it to the basket. I tell them about freewheeling( although they usually know, and I KEEP my key. When getting to the gate, before boarding, the people at the podium do put a tag on the scooter.
Whatever you decide, have a great cruise!

[cjankowski]

Thank you all for your help. We are still very undecied what to do. It is just that we do not want to have his scooter get broken, but I really do not want to pay the money to rent when I know we have one sitting at home. He will take his walker or wheelchair as well.

Just such a hard decision when giving other people a chance to ruin something that cost so much money

[tjdavis2768]

Delta does not allow LI-Ion batteries on their planes.

[innlady1]

Originally Posted by DesrtDrmr

We have taken my scooter on about 15 trips by airplane and have not had any problems. We have flown American, Southwest, United, and USAir. Everyone has been very nice to us, and other than being a bit late bringing the scooter to the plane when I arrived at a destination, but they called for a wheelchair and wheeled me to waiting area while they got my scooter. I have copied my manual and wired it to the basket. I tell them about freewheeling( although they usually know, and I KEEP my key. When getting to the gate, before boarding, the people at the podium do put a tag on the scooter.
Whatever you decide, have a great cruise!

We're flying USAir to Barcelona...have you gate checked internationally too?